Myanmar army suspends military actions against armed groups

Hanoi (VNA) – Myanmar’s army announced on December 21 suspension
of all military actions against armed groups which are operating in five military
command regions for over four months until April 30, 2019.

According to an announcement of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of
the Defense Services, during the military's non-operation period, ethnic armed
groups in respective operation areas are to negotiate for ceasefire and peace
with the National Reconciliation and Peace Centre.

The army assumed that during the period, it may also need to negotiate with
all those remaining non-ceasefire signatory armed groups scattered in the
northern, northeastern, eastern, middle-eastern and triangle military command
areas to sign the Nationwide Cease fire Accord (NCA).

The announcement called on all armed groups to stick to their four-point
promise agreed under the military's six-point peace policy and not to take
advantage out of the agreements as well as not to create burden on local
people.

The army also pledged to cooperate for and take care of the repatriation
of displaced people, who fled the conflict areas, back to their homes.

The military's announcement came in response to a joint statement issued
on December 12 by the non-ceasefire signatory Northern Alliance Ethnic Forces,
comprising three ethnic armed groups, in which the armed groups voiced support
for the government's efforts for national reconciliation and nationwide peace.

The three forces, namely the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army
(MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Arakan Army (AA), expressed
their desire to join hands with government forces to settle military dispute
and political matters through dialogue.

In order to realise peace as early as possible and create a status of
peace, the three alliance forces hoped for the suspension of military action to
pave way for political engagement to achieve national reconciliation and
peace.

So far, 10 ethnic armed groups have signed the NCA with the government
since it was initiated in October 2015.

There remains mainly seven Northern Alliance armed groups which have not
yet signed the NCA. Of them, three issued the December 12 joint statement.-VNA